Night Drives
by tenerifesun
Summary: AU. Alex and Piper decide to start a family together.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 _"The wheels on the bus go..."_

"Don't even go there, Polly." Piper interrupts as Polly launches into the umpteenth nursery rhyme of the morning.

"I'm just doing you a favour. If you guys are as serious about trying for a baby as you say you are, then that's _all_ you'll be listening to."

"I'd be more than happy to listen to you sing nursery rhymes to me all day, Pols, if you could actually sing," Piper teases.

"Piper Chapman, do you want me to pull over and kick you to the curb?" She pretends to be wounded.

She's only joking and Piper knows it. Instead of offering some form of rebuttal, Piper plugs her iPod into the car audio system and turns up the volume. 'Skinny Love' by Bon Iver begins to play and they both sing along quietly.

It's a Thursday and Polly is driving them to a huge superstore on the outskirts of town for some much needed retail therapy, regardless of the huge order that they have waiting for them back at the warehouse.

Polly has never been a creative sort of person so when she suddenly announced that she was going to start making soaps and lotions, Piper had been dubious; however, after she caught a whiff of the first batch, she immediately saw potential. Piper suggested that they go into business together. It took a little while longer than expected to get their business all up and running but now, two years down the line, sales and profit are booming, which is why Polly suggested that they take today off work to go shopping. Although they haven't spent a lot of time together outside of work in the past six months, Piper still finds making conversation with her friend relatively easy. She puts it down to the fact that they have known each other since infancy and nothing could break that. Not even Polly's dislike for Piper's other half.

" _You know_ , Bon Iver is pretty good but his music is not really 'baby' material."

Piper rolls her eyes, "I am _not_ putting on your CD."

"Why don't I sing for you instead?" She laughs loudly, _"The wheels on the bus go-"_

"Please don't ever quit making soap, Pols," Piper moans.

"You love it."

And Polly is right. Piper does love it.

* * *

Rolling green hills whiz by as Polly drives them back towards the city. It's late in the day and the sun is beginning to set. Piper's head lolls against the side of the car door as she fights sleep, absolutely exhausted after their busy day of hitting the sales. Polly drums her thumbs and forefingers against the steering wheel as she sings along to 'Gives You Hell' by All American Rejects.

She looks at Piper and then back towards the road, "Good day?"

" _Mhm_ , fantastic day," Piper answers in a groggy voice. She doesn't elaborate.

Polly doesn't need to look to know that Piper has fallen to sleep. She blindly reaches for the audio system and pokes at a few buttons until the track jumps forward by two. She returns her hand to the steering wheel just as Piper's head jolts upright again.

"Oh _shit_. I forgot to go to the chemist."

"Chemist?" Polly repeats.

"I need to buy a pregnancy test."

* * *

It's late by the time Polly pulls up outside of Piper's New York City apartment. Piper climbs out of the car, walks around to the boot and quickly starts to rummage around and sort through all of their purchases. Meanwhile, Polly winds down her window and waits until Piper is safely on the pavement before she speaks again.

"Do you need a hand carrying your bags or are you going to be okay?" She glances towards the front door of the apartment, half expecting to see the door already open. It isn't and she's grateful.

Piper puts the bags down on the pavement beside her feet and shakes her head, "No, don't worry about me. Just text me when you get home so I know that you're safe?"

"Sure thing, _mother_ ," she replies, "Catch you later."

Piper barely has a chance to reply before the car pulls away from the curb and speeds off down the road. She leans forward and, _with great difficulty_ , picks up all of the bags. She then turns towards the apartment and grimaces. The journey between the pavement and the front door isn't a substantial one but she _does_ have a lot of stuff. She immediately regrets not taking Polly up on her offer of help.

Once she reaches the top of the concrete staircase leading up to the apartment, Piper gently knocks the bottom of the door with her foot. Seconds later, a light inside the house turns on and Piper smiles. She is only seconds away from seeing the love of her life. The door creaks noisily as it opens wide to reveal a tall, dark-haired, _smiling_ woman.

"Hey Al," Piper greets cheerily as she trudges over the threshold, arms heavy.

"Oh shit. Are we now bankrupt?" Alex asks.

She carefully takes some of the load from Piper's tired arms and puts them on the floor beside the front door. Piper does the same before she closes the gap between them and wraps her arms around Alex's torso. Alex returns the hug and presses her lips against the corner of the blonds' mouth.

"I missed you," Piper murmurs, "Does that sound stupid?"

Alex chuckles, "You saw me this morning, Pipes."

"So it _is_ stupid?"

"Did I say that?" Alex watches as Piper juts out her lower lip. She lowers her head and kisses it tenderly. "I missed you too."

They hug and kiss for a couple of minutes before Piper pulls away to retrieve one of the bags. Curious, Alex crosses her arms over her chest and lifts an eyebrow. Piper reaches inside and pulls out a small, pale blue box. She thrusts it towards Alex, who looks down and takes it. _It's a pregnancy test._

"It's way too early to tell, kid!" She says immediately.

Piper wraps her hands around Alex's and the box, "I paid extra to get this one. It's the one from that advert, you know? The one that somehow knows."

Alex rolls the box over in her hands to read the information on the back. _Piper's right_. This one should be able to give them both an accurate result regardless of how little time has passed since the potential conception date. She looks up again and meets Piper's eyes. They're bright and hopeful, and _very_ excited. Alex shifts from one foot to the other, and then finally turns away. She's uncomfortable.

"I don't know, Pipes. Maybe we should wait for a bit longer? I don't want it to be negative and for you to get your heart broken all over again."

Piper frowns, "If it's negative, I will find out sooner rather than later, right? Might as well just find out sooner."

She _does_ have a point.

Before she can respond, Piper plucks the box out from Alex's hand and hurriedly opens one end. She tips it at an angle and the apparatus slides out into her waiting palm. She studies it for a moment before holding it towards Alex, who stares at it with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Pee like a trooper," Piper says with a closed lip smile on her face.

* * *

Having a kid was never in Alex's "plans"; however, Alex never did have a plan, as such. When she was a little girl, Alex came up with the seemingly brilliant idea that she would just free fall through life. Live each day as it comes. _Carpe diem_ and all that shit. She was a smart kid yet she that still didn't prevent her from dropping out of high-school. She was more interested in socialising, seeing the world and having fun. _Perhaps too much fun_.

But yeah, kids had never been her thing. In her eyes, they were just life-sucking monsters that drooled, crapped their pants and cried over nothing. But then she met Piper and Piper wants kids, and due to a bunch of unforeseen circumstances, here they are.

Alex sits down on the toilet and grasps the pregnancy test inside her palms. She can feel her stomach somersaulting with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Ever since they started down this path, they've experienced far too many negative results and Alex doesn't want another one to further crush Pipers' dreams.

It was a shock when their consultant broke the news that Piper would most likely never be able to carry children of her own. In that moment, Alex could have sworn that she heard Pipers' heart shatter. They tried several rounds of IVF along with a bunch of other treatment that the doctors said could potentially increase her chances of conceiving but nothing worked. They talked about adoption but then Alex finally, _albeit reluctantly_ , suggested that she could give the whole pregnancy thing a whirl.

She was scared about getting pregnant but she was more scared about how Piper may react to that. Sure, she wants kids, but would she resent Alex for being the one that carries them?

Alex closes her eyes and sucks in a deep breath in an attempt to calm down her nerves. There is a sharp knock at the door and Piper pokes her head inside. Alex looks up and smiles tentatively.

"Have you done it?" She asks, a giddy tone to her voice.

Alex shakes her head, "Just about to."

"Oh!" Piper disappears again, "Give me a shout when you're done."

Alex places the pregnancy test on the counter to her right before she pushes her glasses onto the top of her head. She deftly unbuckles her trousers, pushes them down to her ankles and then returns to her position on the toilet. For the first time ever, Alex actually struggles to pee. She squirms uncomfortably on the toilet and concentrates a little too hard, and even when it does come, she is almost frightened that she missed the stick entirely.

When she is finished, Alex drops it back onto the counter, pulls up her trousers and quickly washes her hands. She is about to call for Piper again but then freezes. She wants to know first. She wants to know if she'll have to spend the next week comforting her beloved wife. She doesn't want another negative.

Seconds feel like hours and after a while, Alex starts to think that the damned thing is broken. She picks it up and glares at it impatiently but the glare is quickly replaced by a wide-eyed, open-mouthed stare as two blue lines appear across the little screen, followed by a capitalised "PREGNANT".

As if on cue, the bathroom door bursts open and Piper tumbles in. She stops in her tracks when she sees Alex holding the pregnancy test with shaking hands. And when she notices the other woman's tears, Piper's heart constricts painfully. She clamps a hand over her mouth and stifles a sob.

"Another negative?" She finally gasps, her voice stricken.

Alex lowers the pregnancy test and slowly turns her head to look at her. Her eyes are swollen and red, and smudged with make-up, and her cheeks are ashen. Piper closes the distance between them and immediately rests her cheek on Alex' shoulder.

"Pipes..." Alex starts.

Piper interrupts, "It's ok, Alex. Don't say anything, _please_."

"No, _Pipes_ ," This time her voice is more urgent, more forceful. Piper pulls her head back and looks at her, a crease forming in her brow. "Pipes, _kid_ , we're going to be parents."

* * *

 **What do you all think? Should I continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

 _We're going to be parents._ Parents. Pregnant. Alex is pregnant?

"You're pregnant?" Piper squeals, "Are you being serious?"

"No, I'm fucking around," Alex deadpans and then looks at her pointedly, "Of course I'm pregnant."

The clarification sends Piper into overdrive. She immediately starts to jump up and down on the spot in excitement before she roughly throws her arms around Alex's frame. She continues to jostle the taller woman around, all the time shrieking and wooping into the crook of Alex's neck. Alex can't help but laugh. She wraps one arm around Piper's back and uses her other hand to dry her tear stricken face.

"You're going to be a beautiful mother."

Alex presses her lips to Piper's temple, "So will you, Pipes."

Piper's noises of excitement wither slightly at Alex's words, "You know what I mean, Al. You and your bump, you will both be beautiful."

This is what Alex had been dreading. Piper's bittersweet happiness. She pulls away from the embrace and quickly takes a hold of Piper's hands.

"Listen to me," Alex begins, which prompts Piper to lift her head. "You are an amazing person, Pipes. You may not be able to carry a child but damn, you're going to be a fantastic mum."

Piper lowers her gaze as her bottom lip begins to tremble, she tries to pull her hands away but Alex merely tightens her grip.

"Please don't be sad. This is supposed to be a happy occasion."

She's right. Piper nods solemnly and then, as if somebody slaps her across the face, she snaps out of it. She nods again, this time more enthusiastically than the last. Alex smiles and kisses her softly on the mouth. She intends for it to be short and sweet, and loving, but Piper pushes forward and deepens it. Alex sweeps her tongue across Piper's lower lip and is greeted with a low, appreciative moan. The sound causes a smile to pull across her face.

Piper lets go of Alex's hands. She moves one to Alex's neck, where she gently caresses the skin that she finds, whilst the other slides into Alex's dark locks.

The kiss only ends when Alex has to pull back for air. She tilts her head forward and allows their foreheads to meet. Piper's eyes flutter closed as she hums contently. Alex just watches her.

"You're beautiful," She whispers. The words encourage a blush to spread across Piper's cheeks. "Too beautiful for me, that's for sure."

"Oh come on," Piper scoffs, she opens her eyes and shoots Alex a look to say ' _are you fucking crazy?_ ' "Who are you and what have you done with my wife?"

Alex chuckles loudly, "Am I not allowed to compliment you anymore?"

"There is a difference between a compliment and _The_ Alex Vause telling me that I am more attractive than her," Piper says playfully, "Is the baby already making you soft?"

"Fuck no," Alex reaches up and pulls her glasses back down to rest against her nose. She then arches her brows dangerously high, which causes Piper to gulp audibly. "I'm hot stuff. I just said it to be nice."

She ends the comment with a chaste kiss and when she pulls back again, Piper has a goofy, adorable look adorning her face. Alex feels her heart swell.

"Let's go to bed."

Interest piqued, Piper smiles coyly, "But it's only early?"

Alex tugs her closer and smirks, "I never said anything about sleeping."

They kiss again. This time it's hungrier than the last. It's all teeth, and tongue, and hands. They're both breathless by the time they part. Alex roughly spins Piper around and nudges her in the direction of the door. When she doesn't move in the way that Alex wants, she playfully taps her on her bottom.

"Get going Pipes, we only have nine months of sex left."

* * *

 **5:58 ... 5:59... 6:00**

Piper wakes up with a start as the high-pitched, ringing sound of her alarm resounds around the room. She blindly reaches across to her bedside cabinet and presses a variety of buttons until the room is shrouded in silence once more. She flops back against the mattress and turns over to face Alex, who is lying on the opposite side of the bed, her naked back in her direction.

She stretches across and traces her fingers along the curve of her spine. But the older woman shifts in her sleep and quickly, Piper reluctantly retracts her hand. Trust Alex not to stir when the alarm goes off.

Piper quietly slips out of bed and tiptoes across the room to retrieve her dressing gown, all the while, stifling an impending yawn. She looks back over her shoulder and steals one last image of Alex before she walks out into the hallway.

She doesn't want to go to work today, not when just _yesterday_ , she found out that she's expecting a child - well, Alex is expecting a child. She walks through the small apartment until she is in the living space. She quickly grabs a hold of the landline and punches in Polly's number.

It rings several times before Polly answers. Her voice is groggy and it is evident that Piper's phone call is the only reason why she is suddenly awake.

"What do you want?" She moans, "It's early."

Piper cuts to the chase, "Pols, I need today off."

" _Piper_ -" It's a warning tone but Piper interjects.

"Look, I know the deal was that if we went shopping yesterday then both of us had to work our asses off today to get the deal done but well, I've got some news."

"Piper, if you're about to tell me that you're on your period, that's not a good enough excuse."

"No, no-" Piper is suddenly nervous, unsure of whether or not she should proceed. Last night, they'd been too wrapped up in each other's arms to really talk about the situation at hand. They didn't have an opportunity to discuss when or how they are going to tell their friends and family. Piper remembers reading somewhere that they should ideally wait until the mother has passed the twelve week mark before announcing the pregnancy _?_ _Just in case_. She decides to quickly backtrack. Polly clears her throat impatiently. "Well, the thing is. Alex isn't very well."

She can almost feel Polly rolling her eyes on the other end of the line. Piper quickly elaborates on her lies, "Like, she's _really_ sick, Pols. I've been up all night with her. She won't stop throwing up and don't even get me started on her bow-"

" _Okay_. Okay. You best make up for it tomorrow otherwise we're both fucked."

Pipers sighs in relief, "Thanks Pols, you're the best. I will catch you later."

"Oh and Piper?"

" _Hm_?"

"Send Supercunt my regards."

Piper can't help but laugh, " _Bye_ Polly."

* * *

People are often surprised when Piper tells them that Alex is quite the romantic. So far, in their relationship, there have been several memorable occasions that Piper often looks fondly upon. She has recieved many gifts from her wife that range from expensive jewellery, a five-star dining experience, a new pair of shoes, or even a bubble bath and a glass of wine after a long day at work with Polly. These sorts of things don't happen often; however, Piper never takes them for granted. Today, she decides to make Alex breakfast in bed. She cooks scrambled eggs on toast, and prepares a big pot of coffee. She places the breakfast tray on the decorative table in the hallway before she enters the bedroom to wake up her sleeping lover.

Alex is now on her back with one arm stretched across her pillow and the other resting against her stomach. The sheet has come away to reveal her perfect, pale and _very_ naked breasts. Piper quietly approaches the bed and perches on the edge. She immediately reaches across and trails her fingertips down Alex's sternum, smiling as the older woman murmurs contently.

"Alex Vause, it's time to wake up."

The woman in question turns her head away from Piper and groans loudly, "Fuck off, Pipes. Can't you see that I am trying to cook up a baby here? I am sleeping for two now."

Piper leans down and brushes her lips across the underside of Alex's breast. The older woman stiffens and then relaxes with a heavy moan. Piper flicks her tongue across the same patch of skin as she slowly moves her hand towards the other breast. Feeling no resistance, she gently paws at the breast until she feels the nipple harden against the palm of her hand. Meanwhile, Alex squirms against the mattress, enjoying this wake up call more than any other that she's had recently.

"I made breakfast," Piper mouths against her skin. She pulls back far enough so that she can see Alex's face. "Are you hungry?"

"Mm, definitely hungry," Alex licks her lips, "But not for anything that you could possibly cook up in the kitchen."

A blush spreads across Piper's cheeks. She crawls up the bed and throws an arm across Alex's midriff. "Well tough. I don't think _that_ can really satisfy a baby, do you?"

Alex huffs loudly, "Maybe after breakfast then?"

"That's more like it!" Piper leaps from the bed and rushes out of the bedroom, only to return seconds later with the tray of food. She walks carefully back to Alex's bed side, who is now sitting upright against the headboard. She watches Piper with a very amused expression on her face, half expecting the younger woman to spill everything all over the floor.

When Piper hands her the tray, she takes it gratefully and rests it across her lap. "You really went all out here, Pipes. I'm impressed."

"I'm not a complete invalid," Piper barks back but the smile on her face betrays the tone of her voice. "How are you feeling? Any different?"

"Not really," Alex answers around a mouthful of scrambled egg and toast. Piper doesn't notice: they're _that_ far into their relationship. "What happens now?"

Piper is the one that knows everything (or likes to think she does) about pregnancy. _Before, during and after._ She's the one that has spent hours trawling the internet for different information and splurging on the Top Ten lists of pregnancy books about absolutely everything connected to it. Alex, on the other hand, hasn't really read _anything_ about it so it's all a bit daunting for her.

" _Well_... we will need to get you an appointment with the GP. I mean, it's only been three weeks."

Alex absentmindedly rubs her hand across her belly as she shovels another forkload of food into her mouth. Then suddenly she remembers that it's Friday and not the weekend, and Piper is supposed to be dressed for work by now. As if reading her mind, Piper explains.

"I called Polly earlier and asked if I could take the day off. I told her that you're not feeling well and that I wanted to look after you-"

" _Ha!_ " Alex almost chokes, "I bet she was pleased."

"Anyway," Piper shoots her a glare, "I thought maybe we could spend the day together, since you're not supposed to be in work - wait, you're not, _are you_?"

Alex shakes her head, 'no'. She eats as much of her breakfast as she can and then starts to push the remainder of her food around the plate with her fork instead. Piper watches her curiously. She can see that her wife is lost in thought but she doesn't want to pry. She can only imagine that the whole revelation that you're suddenly carrying a baby can be overwhelming and somewhat daunting, _especially_ for somebody like Alex, who never in a million years dreamed of having a child.

They sit in silence for another five minutes until Piper finishes her food. Once done, she quickly gathers up their plates so that she can put them to one side and then slips back into bed beside Alex. The taller woman immediately wraps her arm around Piper's back and pulls her into a tight embrace.

"I love you, kid. You know that, right?"

Piper kisses whatever skin that she can find, murmuring a reply in the process, "I love you more."

* * *

"What would _you_ prefer, a boy or a girl?"

After they finished breakfast, and got showered and dressed, Piper insisted that they dropped by their local book store to purchase even _more_ books in preparation for the next eight and however long months, much to Alex's amusement. Afterwards, they visited their favourite bistro to have a spot of lunch, where Piper treated Alex to a calorie-packed cream cake. Now, with full bellies, they walked hand-in-hand down a bustling New York street, discussing all things baby.

"I don't know," Alex finally answers, "It wouldn't bother me either way although a boy would be pretty cool."

"A boy?" Piper repeats, a faint smile tracing her lips. "I think I'd prefer a girl, well, for the first baby anyway."

Alex gulped. She didn't even want to know how many babies Piper was expecting her to pop out.

"Ah man, I can't wait to teach baby 'It' how to be awesome like his mummy."

"When you say awesome, I hope you mean well-mannered, polite and punctual."

Alex rolls her eyes and laughs, "And how to smoke from a bong and design his own tattoos."

Piper glares at her, "I am so going to be the 'evil' mum, aren't I?"

"Not gonna lie but it's pretty likely," Alex lifts their entwined hands and brushes her lips across the backs of Piper's knuckles. "Either way. You'll be great."

Piper sidles closer and presses her mouth against Alex's neck. "You smell like strawberries," She says once she falls back into step.

"Strawberries?" Alex repeats, "Do you think the baby will come out smelling like strawberries? Absolutely delectable?"

"Al, if you think you smell like strawberries, down _there_ , you're sadly mistaken."

"'Down there'?" Alex mocks, "And _hey_ , I smell like roses. That's why you just can't stay away."

They're happy. Actually, Piper likes to think that they're _unbelievably_ happy; however, it has taken a very long time for them to get to this point. But right now, as they kiss, and hold hands, and imagine what their baby is going to look like, Piper believes that everything that has happened between them has been worth it.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for the reviews. They're definitely appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

A trip to the local GP surgery confirmed what they already knew: Alex is definitely pregnant. To celebrate, they put on their finest dresses and ventured into the city to revisit one of their favourite restaurants. Whilst there, Piper quickly polished off a bottle of red wine and cried happy tears over the prospect of " _finally_ becoming a family", meanwhile Alex nursed a glass of pure orange juice and watched on in amusement.

They tried their best to steer the conversation away from the pregnancy; however, one way or another, it always turned back around. They discussed potential baby names (Piper suggested, Alex scoffed), when to tell their friends and family (Piper now, Alex later), and when they could start kitting out the spare bedroom (Piper said they have to wait until they know the sex otherwise they might paint the room the wrong colour, Alex, _well_ , she rolled her eyes).

* * *

Another three weeks tick by until one morning, Alex wakes up with a loud, endless groan. She immediately rolls over in bed and prods incessantly at Piper's side; however, Piper, who is still half asleep, responds by blindly thwarting her hand away. Alex groans again but this time Piper forces her eyes open to investigate.

"What's up?" She asks, her voice still thick with sleep. "You okay?"

Alex rolls closer and presses the length of her body against Piper's side. "Make me feel better," She murmurs in a child-like voice.

Piper closes her eyes and lazily wraps an arm around Alex's shoulders, tugging her close. They continue to cuddle in silence and Piper _almost_ falls back to sleep again, that is, until she hears an unusual noise from underneath her armpit. She lifts her arm slightly and peers down at Alex, who looks away sheepishly.

"What was that?" Piper asks, suddenly more awake than a few seconds ago.

"I thought I had something in my throat, sorry."

Not convinced, Piper tries to edge away so she can turn to face her wife at a better angle but is stopped short when Alex grips onto her tightly. She allows her arm to fall against her shoulders again but this time she does not make any attempt to fall back to sleep. She hears the noise again.

" _Okay_. What are you doing?" She gently pushes on Alex's shoulder, "Oh gosh, you're white."

"I'm always white," Alex groans as she flops onto her back, "What's new?"

"No, not white," Piper trails off. She leans closer and her face scrunches up as she scrutinizes Alex's complexion, "More _green_."

"Green?" She repeats.

Piper nods in confirmation, "Like Shrek."

"Shrek?" Alex scoffs, she shoots Piper a heavy glare, "You do know that you're comparing your pregnant 'just-woken-up' wife to an ogre, right?"

"I just meant the skin tone!" Piper argues, "Jeez, somebody's hormonal this morning."

Alex throws an arm over her face and cries out in frustration. She feels cranky and tired, and there is a whirring sensation in the pit of her stomach, _as if any minute now she is going to -_ suddenly overcome with nausea, Alex bolts upright in bed and makes a futile attempt to throw back the covers. Piper, on the other hand, startled by the rapid course of movement, flies in the opposite direction as if she's been burnt or bitten, and before she can even question what the hell is going on, she already has her answer. Alex retches noisily and then, with minimal dignity, vomits onto the duvet.

"Oh man," Alex says after a beat. "Sorry, kid."

The way Alex reacts to what just happened causes Piper to look at her in disbelief. The room is shrouded in silence for a long moment as Piper tries to make sense of the situation but suddenly, out of nowhere, she throws her head backwards and releases a loud bark of laughter. Immediately, she slaps her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle any more sound from escaping but is unsuccessful, and quickly dissolves into a fit of giggles. Alex just sits there, her head bowed down towards her lap and her fingers against her temples. Her hair has fallen down to curtain her face so Piper is unable to see if she is okay (well, as okay as you can be after throwing up in bed).

She reaches out and gently places her hand on the curve of Alex's spine, "Oh man?" She repeats, still giggling somewhat, "You vomit on yourself and all you say is: 'oh man'?"

Alex leans closer into Piper's touch and shrugs heavily, "Hey, I apologised too."

"Don't be stupid, baby, there is no need to apologise," Piper moves her hand around to brush Alex's hair away from her face. "Why don't you jump into the shower whilst I clean up in here?"

"You're the boss," Alex says with a nod. She carefully maneuvers the bed-covers to one side and then clambers out. She trudges to the door of their en-suite bathroom and then looks back over her shoulder at Piper, who is still in the same position as she was a few seconds ago. When she meets Piper's eye, she winks boldly and then says: "Have fun!"

Piper grumbles something under her breath as she turns her attention back to the sick soaked bedsheets.

* * *

"You're late."

It's the only form of greeting that Piper gets as she enters the room in a flurry. She throws her handbag onto the floor in the corner of the room and then quickly starts to roll up the sleeves of her shirt. Meanwhile, Polly crosses her arms over her chest and studies Piper in silence.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Pols," Piper begins, "Alex is really ill and I had to do some washing before coming here, and then I couldn't find my keys, and-"

"Shut the hell up. I don't care right now. We've got so much work to do."

They work silently for a solid hour. Both women are well aware of how important this very large order is and how it needs to be completed and packaged by the end of the week, if not, one of the consequences is that they will most likely lose a highly important, well-paying client. Their business doesn't need that, not when it is currently doing so well. Eventually the silence becomes too much for Polly and she starts to ask questions.

"What's up with Supercunt anyway? She seems to be extra poorly lately. Is she back on the drugs?" Piper immediately scowls at Polly. She is about to jump into a tirade about _this_ and _that_ , when Polly merely shrugs innocently in response to Piper's reaction and then returns her gaze to her soap. "What? Just saying."

" _Alex_ is just going through some stuff right now," Piper interjects. Emphasis on the name. "I would like it if you could be nice about her for, well, I would normally say forever but I don't think that's possible in this case, so I will just say, for the next few months whilst she is under the weather. Is that doable?"

"For the next few months?" Polly repeats slowly, her voice heavy with confusion. Piper _almost_ regrets saying anything but the sheer excitement about the situation quickly takes over and with a coy smile on her face, she furiously nods her head. Polly just scrunches up her face as she attempts to make sense of Piper's odd statement. "Is she really sick?" She eventually asks.

Piper abandons the soap in her hands and walks around the table towards her best friend. There is a smile on her face but she still nervously chews on her lower lip. Nobody knows about their expected new arrival and Piper wants to word it carefully but just as she opens her mouth to tell her, sudden realization dawns on Polly's face and she gasps noisily.

"Oh my God!" She shrieks. The noise causes Piper to flinch, "She's pregnant, isn't she?"

Before she can even answer, Polly launches forward and wraps her arms around Piper in a bone-bruising hug. Piper giggles ecstatically. "I wasn't supposed to tell you just yet but yeah, she's six weeks pregnant. _Finally_."

Polly pulls away from the embrace; however, her hands remain on Piper's upper arms. She squeezes them gently. "Does this mean that the kid is going to have Alex's God awful personality?"

" _Polly,_ " Piper warns and Polly rolls her eyes. "The child will be amazing, just like Alex."

"And just like _you._ "

They smile at one another until Polly turns her head away, a somewhat sheepish expression pulls across her face.

"Look, I know that Alex and I don't exactly have the best relationship."

Understatement of the century. They've _never_ liked each other.

Piper and Alex had been dating for six months when she finally made the suggestion that they invite Polly around for some dinner so they can meet and become friends. Before she even suggested it, she was already apprehensive about it as it was obvious that they had polar opposite personality characterisitcs; however, they both meant a lot to her and for some reason, Piper thought that _maybe_ that would have been enough. Although Polly had been excited about the prospect of meeting the person that was suddenly responsible for Piper's happiness, Alex had other ideas. She complained, rolled her eyes and really dragged her feet about organising a suitable date, and it was only after a huge argument (their first, actually) did she finally accept. They met a week later. Piper couldn't believe how much of an epic fuck up it was.

"True," Piper muses thoughtfully, "But go on."

"But I want to be around to see the child," She says with a confident nod of her head.

Piper frowns, "Uh, well that's a given, right?"

"What if Alex doesn't want me to be?" She seems to ponder her question for a couple of seconds and then shakes her head in disbelief, "Wait, _fuck her_. I'm seeing the kid regardless."

"Polly, please don't be silly." Piper returns to her position at the works bench and immediately dips her hands into the product in front of her. "You two hate each other, sure, but she isn't a complete bitch. She loves me and she wouldn't hurt me like that. She knows how important you are to me."

"I guess," Polly sighs, "I just know how stubborn she can be."

"Believe me, Pols, I know how stubborn she can be too. Now, we need to get this order completed."

Polly returns to the task at hand with a firm nod of her head, "Alright _mummy_."

* * *

Alex works in a successful bar downtown under the management of Red. They've been close friends for such a long, long time, that Red now regularly refers to her as a daughter. She is always thankful for their great relationship but this morning, she was even more so. After the incident in the bedroom, Alex had called up the bar to ask Red to find somebody else to cover her shift as she was feeling sick. Red had clicked her tongue in annoyance yet agreed nonetheless but she had demanded to be told what was up the next time Alex was on shift. Alex reluctantly agreed.

Instead, Alex spends the day floating around the house in her pyjamas doing bits and bobs. She even manages to pick up one of the pregnancy books that Piper had purchased the morning after Alex did the pregnancy test. She promptly puts it back down again after she turns to a page that has a _very_ graphic photo of the baby coming out of the poor mother. _"My vagina's fucked!_ " were the words that she used.

Around 5 o'clock, Alex curls up on the sofa with some snacks and turns on the television. She flicks through the channels until she finds one that is playing movies. More specifically: 'Homeward Bound'.

A little while later, Piper returns home with several bags in tow. She noisily walks through the apartment, depositing her coat _here_ and her bag _there_. She pokes her head inside the bedroom to confirm that Alex is out of bed before she wanders the rest of the way down the hallway to the living area, and she is surprised by what she finds. Alex is staring intently at the screen as a scene unfolds. She is clutching the throw close to her chest whilst she anxiously dabs at her eyes with a tissue. All around her, the floor and sofa is covered in scrunched up tissues and different food receptacles. It's a mess. Piper turns her attention back to Alex's face. Although the only light in the room is from the television, the light reflects off her face in such a way that Piper can see how swollen her eyes are, and how damp her cheeks are.

She wordlessly enters the room and takes a seat on the sofa beside Alex but the older woman doesn't even look at her. Piper glances towards the television and recognises the movie straight away. She is well aware of how emotional the ending is to a _normal person_ but Alex isn't normal. She is Alex. _The_ Alex Vause. Yet here she is, blubbering away to a kids film about two dogs and a cat. Piper reaches out and rubs her thigh in what she hopes is a comforting move. Alex finally turns to look at her.

"Hey," She says simply.

Piper cracks a warm smile, "Hey yourself, cry baby."

"I am turning into a crazy person," Alex half jokes, "I never cry at movies."

" _Well_ , it's a damn good thing that I love you, isn't it?"

They lean towards each other and kiss softly. Piper places a hand on Alex's damp cheek and strokes her thumb across her cheekbone. When the kiss ends, Alex tilts her head forward to rest their foreheads together.

"I missed you today, does that sound crazy?"

Piper thinks back to the conversation that they had several weeks ago and is half tempted to make a joke but her heart flutters at the admission instead. _Would she ever be used to Alex's sudden declarations of affection_? Probably not.

"Not crazy. I missed you too," Piper seals the comment with a kiss before she reaches down to gently touch Alex's stomach, "I missed both of you."

* * *

 **Thank you, thank you, thank you.**


End file.
